


Under Pressure

by lilredwiththehood



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-17
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-05-14 05:21:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5730943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilredwiththehood/pseuds/lilredwiththehood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the stress from a quickly-approaching graduation and Worlds becomes too much for Chloe, Beca must resort to drastic measures to bring her smile back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I just want to warn readers that even though this fic is about Bechloe, it focuses more on their friendship and the hint that it could possibly be something more rather than on their romantic relationship. So if you're expecting them to fall madly in love, this probably isn't the fic for you. 
> 
> Also, I wasn't sure about the timing between the retreat and graduation and Worlds, so I took some liberties with that.
> 
> Other than that, I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pitch Perfect or any of the characters.

“Again!” Chloe barks in her best captain voice as she turns to face the rest of the Bellas.  

The command is met by a series of groans as the women sluggishly reposition themselves in front of the theatre mirrors, preparing to run the choreography for god-knows-what number time.  The redhead has had them doing the same middle section of their set for Worlds for almost an hour, and both their patience and their muscles are quickly running thin.

Chloe turns back around and after finding her position, she looks at the group in the mirror’s reflection.  She sees that Stacie is stretching her arms over her head, cringing at her sore muscles.  Amy is bending down with her hands on her knees, breathing heavily.  Cynthia Rose shakes her head in annoyance and Jessica and Ashley just exchange sad glances at each other.  Flo rubs her temples and mumbles a frustrated “ay dios mio!”  Lilly doesn’t appear to be tired at all, and if she actually had the time, Chloe would wonder why that is.  Emily has her eyes closed and is taking a deep breath.  Finally, the redhead lays eyes on Beca, who is looking back at her as she wipes the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.

Okay, so maybe Chloe is pushing them kind of hard, but it’s for a good reason.  Worlds is their last performance together.  It’s their last hurrah, their last chance to do what they love as a group.  There’s no way to avoid the ending of this chapter in their lives – it took Chloe three extra years of college to learn that lesson – but she _needs_ this chapter to have a happy ending.  Because this is what’s going to immortalize their bond.  If they win, they will have this wonderful experience to come back to forever, but if they lose, the Bellas and all of the wonderful times they shared will eventually fade into nothing.  Chloe may be losing them in a few months, but she will not let herself lose their connection.  She’s about to enter the real world, which is scary enough as it is.  But the thought of doing it without her sisters?  Well, that thought is enough to take the air from her lungs.  Winning is what is going to keep the connection alive ten years from now when they are living all across the country.  Winning will keep them in each other’s lives.  So, Chloe is stepping up her captain game.  For the Bellas.

She takes a breath, then begins, “Five, six, seven, eight.”

And the girls begin to do the routine for the millionth time.  They actually make it through the entire thing, which has been a rare occurrence throughout the past hour.  

“That was better that time,” Chloe announces after they strike their final pose.  “Let’s run it again.”

The rest of the Bellas let out another collective sigh.

“Damn,” Cynthia Rose hisses under her breath.

“Seriously?” Beca groans as her chest moves up and down a bit faster than it should.

Fat Amy releases her own loud groan and sinks to the floor.  “Please, no more!”

Chloe turns around to face the Bellas once again.  “We’re taking it from the top.”  She glares down at Amy.  “Back on your feet.”  When Amy ignores her, she softens her voice and gives a small smile in an attempt to encourage her.  “Come on, you can do this.”

“I can’t do it again,” the Tasmanian protests.

“Amy,” Chloe growls in a way that causes the Tasmanian’s eyes to widen and her mouth to drop open slightly.  She actually looks scared of Chloe for a second.

“We’ve done this number almost as many times as Stacie has had sex this month,” Amy complains as she slowly begins to rise to her feet.  Stacie nods her head in agreement.

“And we’re going to keep doing it until we get it right,” Chloe announces.

“Come on ginge.  Even the people who actually do cardio are tired,” the Tasmanian tries as she finally stands.

“She has a point,” Beca agrees.  “Maybe we should just call it a day.”

“We just found our sound again.  This is not the time to be slacking off.  This is the time to push our limits.  We need to keep going.”  She locks eyes with Beca, waiting for the brunette to agree with her and help get the Bellas back in line.

Beca stares her down for a moment, deciding what to do.  She knows Chloe can get a little intense when she’s in her captain zone.  The redhead is competitive, and a little competitive edge never hurt, especially when the stakes are this high for the Bellas.  But Beca can’t help but feel that her co-captain is starting to take it a bit too far.  “Everybody take five,” she finally announces, keeping her eyes on Chloe to watch her expression.

Chloe subtly clenches her jaw as she continues to hold Beca’s gaze, solely out of frustration.  She can’t help but feel a little betrayed.

The Bellas keep their eyes fixated on their two captains, unsure of which one to obey.  They all feel the tension.  Both captains can feel the eight pairs of eyes on them, and Beca is the one to break the stare.  “Get some water,” she tells the girls.  “And be ready to do it again,” she adds, trying to lessen the blow to Chloe’s ego.

Without hesitation, the Bellas flock to the theatre seats, grabbing their waters and resting their legs.

Chloe grabs her hot pink water bottle and heads over to the piano.  She can no longer ignore the knots in her stomach.  Okay, she’ll admit that she isn’t quite acting like herself today.  In fact, she’s being kind of a bitch, but for some reason, she can’t stop herself no matter how hard she tries.  She doesn’t mean for each one of her words to bite, they’re just coming out of her mouth that way.  

She asks herself why that is.  Why each time somebody messes up, she wants to scream.  But she already knows the answer.  Every step they take is a sentence closer to the end of her chapter with the Bellas.  With every mistake the girls make, Chloe feels the perfect ending slipping through her fingers, and she is reminded of all the little things she is going to miss about them when they are gone. 

 _Ashley goes right instead of left._   The way Jessica and Ashley communicate solely through facial expressions.

 _Beca stumbles after turning too fast_.  The way Emily does a little awkward dance when she accomplishes something she finds difficult.  Or the way her innocent eyes widen when Stacie and Cynthia Rose begin talking about R-rated topics. 

 _Fat Amy half-asses a move, probably because her muscles hurt._   The way Lilly purposely pops out from around the corner to scare Beca when she walks by, just to see how high she can make the brunette jump.  So far, the record is two feet and ten inches.

 _Ashley moves right instead of left again._   How Flo’s nostrils flare when the Bellas eat take-out Mexican food in front of her, often while she simultaneously rants in Spanish about how she doesn’t understand how they could eat that “fake shit.”  

 _Emily sneezes, causing her to move half a step late._   When Amy literally shoves people out of her way so she can get the first pick on pizza night.  

 _Cynthia Rose enters early._   How Beca’s fingers gracefully float over the soundboard while she’s making a new mix.  The way her steely blue eyes light up when she finally finds a combination she likes. 

The thoughts keep growing and they are continuing to suffocate Chloe more and more.  So for the past hour, she has been pushing them aside and working the girls harder, hoping they’ll go away if she focuses on the Worlds.  Unfortunately, this strategy isn’t working out too well for her and she can no longer ignore the growing pain in her chest.  Her anxiety keeps coming out as frustration, and it’s taking over without her permission.  All she wants to do is curl up into a ball and cry.

Chloe’s thoughts are interrupted when she feels someone nudge her arm, followed by a soft “Hey, nerd.”

She turns to see Beca leaning against the piano next to her with her own blue water bottle in her hand.

“Hi,” Chloe replies, trying to keep her voice pleasant.  The word doesn’t bite like it would have minutes earlier, but it carries much less joy and excitement than usual.

Beca takes a swig of her water, then places it on the piano in front of her.  “So, um,” she picks at her thumbnail, her go-to mannerism in awkward situations.  “Are you, like, okay?”  She brings her eyes up to meet Chloe’s.

“Yeah,” she replies, putting on a small smile. “Totes.”  To her relief, it comes out sounding a lot more like her typical self this time.

“Okay,” Beca nods as she returns to picking at her nail.  "Cool.”

After an awkward silence lasting a few seconds, Beca’s phone chimes.

“Alright, nerds.  Get your butts back in formation,” she announces as she silences the phone.

The Bellas obey the order and both captains take their places in front of the mirrors.

“Okay,” Chloe begins, trying her best to sound upbeat.  “Let’s try it again from the top.”  She shakes herself loose and quickly scans the Bellas’ reflections in the mirror.  Once she sees they’re all ready, she snaps her fingers.  “Five, six, seven eight.”

The Bellas get through the specific section of the choreography three times.  Halfway through the fourth, Chloe stops them again.  “Stop.” 

The Bellas give another collective groan.  Their frustration is quickly returning.  So is Chloe’s.  “Let’s start it again.”

“Can we just move on to something else?” Stacie whines.

“Yeah, didn’t you say Beca got an idea for the beginning last week?” Cynthia Rose chimes in.

“Chloe and I are still working that out,” Beca answers, turning around to face the rest of the group.  “It’s not a sure thing yet.  What we’re doing right now is the only solid choreography we have.”

“Which is why we’re going to get this even if we have to stay here all night,” Chloe announces.  She takes a breath.  “From the top.”  She waits for the rest of the Bellas to return to their starting points, then begins counting.

They don’t even make it halfway through the number this time before Chloe stops them again.  There are eye rolls everywhere.

“Oh my _god_ ,” Stacie mumbles.

Cynthia Rose shakes her head in disappointment.  Flo looks like she’s about to kill someone and Emily looks straight-up traumatized.

“Are you punishing us because you want us to know what it’s like to be a ginger?” Amy asks.

Chloe opens her mouth to retort a reply, but Beca cuts her off as she holds up a hand to Amy.

“Okay,” the brunette looks to Chloe and takes a breath, trying to make sure her voice remains calm, “why did you stop us this time?  I didn’t see anyone mess up.”

“It was sloppy,” Chloe responds.

“Yeah, because we’re _tired_ ,” Amy groans.

“So it’s a little rough.  It’s no big deal,” Beca says.

“No big deal?  We are going to the _World’s_ , Beca.  The future of the Bellas rests on this performance.  We don’t have room to be sloppy,” Chloe informs her.

“I know,” Beca says and puts her hands up in defense.  “I get that you want this to go well.  We all do.  None of us want to kill a legacy.  But I don’t think it would hurt to turn down the criticism a bit."  Some of the Bellas nod in agreement.  "We’re still learning the song, so of course it’s going to be a little messy.  We’ll get it to perfection long before Worlds.  But making us do the same thing a million times when we’re already tired isn’t going to make us any better.”

Chloe feels her frustration take hold of her.  “It’s not like we have anything else to do, Beca.  You haven’t exactly been around to develop your whole intro idea,” she snaps.  She didn’t intend for it to come out as cold as it did.

“I know,” Beca remains calm.  “Work has been crazy.  We’ll do it this week, I promise.”

“So what do you recommend we do in the meantime?  Sit here and twiddle our thumbs?  Maybe talk about our feelings?” Chloe asks impatiently.  Once again, the words come out with an unintended edge.

“Yeah, I’ll pass on that,” Cynthia Rose chimes in.

“Me, too,” Flo agrees.

“Okay, I get your point, Chlo,” Beca mumbles, trying not to lose patience, "but I still think you should go a little easier.”

Chloe’s muscles tense at Beca’s criticism.  “I’m sorry if this is inconvenient for you, but I’m not going to let us waste our precious rehearsal time when we could be doing something productive, like working to save the future Bellas.”  She moves back into her position and growls, “From the top.”

Too afraid to argue, the Bellas get back in formation.  Beca lingers for a moment, glaring at her co-captain, but moves back to her spot.

Chloe takes a breath, then begins, “Five, six, seven, eight.”

The Bellas get through most of the number this time, and their grimaces begin to fade when they realize Chloe isn’t stopping them.  Just when things are beginning to look up, Beca trips over her own two feet and stumbles into Chloe.  “Shit!” she yelps as she collides into the redhead’s side.

Chloe stumbles, but quickly regains her balance.  Beca has ignited her spark of frustration, and it’s starting to build up inside of her, creating so much pressure that it hurts her chest.  

“What hell was that?” she barks at the brunette.  The rest of the Bellas stop dancing and watch.  They know shit is about to go down.

“I tripped.  Sorry,” Beca replies, taking offense to Chloe’s tone.

Normally, Chloe would rush to Beca’s side and ask if she’s alright, but the swelling frustration has taken control of her, and she’s about to erupt like a volcano.  “What’s the problem, Beca?”  It comes out a lot harsher than she intended.

“Um, I’m a klutz?” Beca responds slowly, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.  Chloe doesn’t think it’s funny.  Her face makes that perfectly clear.  In an attempt to blow it over, Beca gives an uncomfortable smile, ready to crack a joke.  “It was an accident.  Be happy I didn’t break anything.”

“I’ll be happy when we can get through this number without somebody screwing it up,” Chloe grumbles to herself, but not nearly quiet enough.

Beca defensively puts a hand out in front of her.  “Dude, you need to chill.”

And this is what sends Chloe off the edge.  The pressure inside her swells even more, finally causing the lava to shoot out of her.  “I need to chill?”

“Yeah,” Beca nods with wide eyes.

“ _I_ need to chill?  You are the one who needs to thaw out!”  She takes a frustrated breath.  “How are we supposed to win at Worlds when the team’s captain won’t even take it seriously?”

Beca is so surprised by the outburst that she can’t respond.  Her mouth just slightly hangs open as she stares back at Chloe, wide-eyed.

“You need to step it up, Beca.  For the Bellas.”  The words come out of Chloe’s mouth before she can stop them.  She cringes on the inside, knowing that she is totes out of line.

Beca quickly recovers from the blow to her ego.  She pokes her tongue into the corner of her cheek and shakes her head.  She stands up straighter and crosses her arms, preparing to deliver the next jab.  “Tell me, when exactly did Aubrey Posen invade your body?”

Most of the Bellas’ mouths drop open, recognizing it as a low blow, and Cynthia Rose mumbles a surprised “oh shit.”  Completely terrified, Emily hides behind Fat Amy.

Chloe feels a slight pain in her chest.  She knows Beca said that just to hurt her.  But she swallows away the hurt and pulls herself together as the frustration takes hold of her again.  “I wouldn’t have to act like her if you just focused!” she snaps.

“I _am_ focused!”  Beca begins speaking with her hands, informing Chloe that she is getting angry.

“No, you’re not!  It’s been almost a month since the retreat and your head is still not in this!”  Chloe wishes she could have grabbed those words before they slipped out of her mouth.  She knows she has offended Beca with that one.  Yes, Beca is still splitting her focus between the Bellas and her internship, but it isn’t as bad as it was before the retreat.  Chloe can see that Beca has been trying to work on it, trying to give more of herself to the Bellas.  But for some reason, her mouth decided to make it an issue again, to use it against her.

“Are you serious right now?  Are we really going to repeat the whole retreat incident?”  Beca’s voice is getting louder as her own anger begins to grow.

“Maybe we should,” Chloe barks back without missing a beat.  “It’s not like anything has really changed.  You’re still totally out of it when it comes to anything Bella-related, probably because you’re still obsessing over your internship.  Or who knows?  Maybe it’s something else that’s distracting you.  I mean, it’s not like you’d tell us about it.”

Some of the Bellas’ eyes widen in horror, others release hushed “ooh’s.”

Chloe can see Beca swallow hard.  It’s subtle, discreet enough that none of the other Bellas would ever notice.  The only reason Chloe does is because she had gotten so close to Beca in the past four years – closer than either one of them is with the other girls – that she knows her body language like it’s the alphabet.  She knows that this small action means the tiny brunette is trying not to let Chloe hurt her, but it isn’t working.  She does, however, manage to keep her brave face on.

“Wow, you’re seriously going to go there?  You’re really going to make this a problem again?” Beca asks, letting the offense show in her voice.

“What choice do I have?” Chloe retorts.  “There’s too much at stake.”

Beca shakes her head and walks past the cluster of Bellas to the theatre seats.  “I’m not doing this right now,” she grumbles.

“Where are you going?” Chloe barks. 

Beca picks up her bag.  “I’m leaving.”

Her answer causes more lava to spew.  “Of course, now you’re going to walk away from us when we need you.  Just like you always do,” Chloe blows.

Beca heads for the door.  “Well, me staying here and fighting with you isn’t going to help anyone.”

Chloe is quickly realizing how out of hand this fight has gotten.  Her voice softens a bit.  “Becs, come back.”  When her request is ignored, she puts her captain voice back on.  “Beca Mitchell.”

Nearing the doorway, the brunette stops short and slowly turns around.  Chloe can’t help but notice that she has never seen the other woman glare quite like that before.  It scares her a little bit.  Her stomach turns into knots and she gets another pain in her chest.  She hates herself for making her best friend look at her like that.

“I’m exhausted,” Beca says sternly.  “I’m going home.”  She turns back around and continues toward the door, calling behind her, “I’ll see you guys at the house.”

“Beca!” Chloe calls more desperately.  But the brunette is already out the door.

The Bellas stare after her in shock.  Nobody can believe that just happened.  Even Fat Amy deems the situation too awkward to touch.  There is a pregnant silence.

“You know what?” Chloe finally speaks, her voice suddenly gentle.  “She’s right.  Let’s just,” she takes a shaky breath, “let’s just call it a day.  Thank you guys for working so hard.”

Still recovering from the tension, the rest of the Bellas slowly move to the seats to grab their bags.  Chloe turns to lean against the piano and runs her hands through her hair.  Who the hell is she right now?  What has she done?

“You coming, Captain?” 

Chloe whirls around to see Stacie standing behind her, bag in hand.  The other Bellas linger at the door.

“Um, you guys go ahead,” she waves her off, trying to fake a smile.  “I think I’m going to clean up the next section of choreography for a bit.”

“Okay, see ya,” Stacie winks and exits with the other girls.

Chloe watches them leave.  She can’t help but notice that standing there in the middle of the empty studio, she has never felt so alone.  Maybe her chapter with the Bellas isn’t going to have a happy ending. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's chapter one. I decided to split this story into chapters at the last minute, so I'm sorry for the lack of Bechloe action. I promise it comes in the next one!
> 
> I hope you guys are enjoying this so far! This was actually my first fic ever (hopefully it didn't completely suck) so feel free to give me feedback.


	2. Chapter 2

Chloe had spent another hour in the studio after the other Bellas left, but she accomplished nothing.  She actually _had_ intended to work on more choreography like she told Stacie, but she couldn’t bring herself to move.

The horror of what she had done weighed down on her like a block of lead.  The horror of how she treated the girls, of how she treated Beca.  It wasn’t like her at all to snap at people.  Chloe had one rule: treat others with kindness, it’s as simple as that.  For as long as she can remember, she lived by this rule, only breaking it when absolutely necessary.  But today, she had broken it for no good reason, and she felt absolutely _awful_.

She didn’t know she could be so mean.  She hadn’t meant any of it.  For serious.  It was like the stress had taken over her body and forced her to spit out word vomit.  Venomous word vomit that hurt the people she loved.  Is this really how she responds to stress?

She looked at the reflection in the studio mirrors and saw the exhausted faces of the Bellas.  She saw the way Ashley took a shaky breath when she had called the other woman out for stepping the wrong way.  She saw the fear in Amy’s eyes when she had growled at her to stand up.  She saw Emily jump when she began to snap at Beca.  

She saw Beca’s face after she called her out.  She saw the brunette’s utter shock.  The way she swallowed away the lump in her throat in order to push away the hurt Chloe had caused her.  Her eyes began to fill with tears at the thought that she hurt her best friend.  Beca, the woman whose walls she had spent years breaking down, the woman who had become her best friend, the woman she looked forward to seeing as soon as she woke up in the morning.  That woman was probably sitting in her room with her giant headphones around her ears, intensely focusing on making a mix in order to distract herself from the sting of Chloe’s words.  The thought made Chloe want to throw up, and she couldn’t take feeling that way any longer.  She needed to apologize to Beca.  She needed to make her best friend smile again.  So she blinked away her tears, grabbed her bag, and headed back to the Bella house.

Which brings her to where she is now, walking down the hallway with her wet hair bouncing against her now sweat-free and lavender-scented shoulders.  She heads up the flight of stairs leading to Beca and Amy’s room, taking a breath to calm her nerves.  She reaches the top to find the room womanless.

Her next guess is the kitchen.  She enters to find Stacie, Cynthia Rose, Flo, and Amy standing around the table.  Stacie has her face buried in a menu for a nearby Italian restaurant.

“Hey, Cap,” Cynthia Rose greets.

“Hey,” Chloe smiles and leans against the table.

“It’s pizza night!” Amy yells in her best announcer voice and does a little dance to show her excitement.

“I don’t know if I want pineapple or buffalo chicken,” Stacie says, mostly to herself.

“Oh, put me down for buffalo chicken instead!” Cynthia Rose excitedly tells Flo, who was unfortunate enough to receive the job of taking everyone’s orders in Beca’s absence.  

The Guatemalan is less than thrilled about the situation.  “Ay, stop changing your mind, woman!” she complains.

“Just write it down, short stack,” Amy groans.  After rolling her eyes at the nickname, Flo crosses out the old order and writes the new one down on the pad of paper in front of her.

“Where’s Beca?” Chloe asks, taking advantage of the second of silence.

“Out with Jesse,” Stacie answers as she closes the menu and puts it back into its designated drawer.

“Oh.”  Chloe can feel the pressure in her chest quickly returning.  Is Beca _that_  mad at her?

“And she needs to come back because this,” Flo motions to the paper in front of her, “is her job.”

“Change that half buffalo chicken to a full.  CR and I will split it,” Stacie tells Flo.

“Oh, and don’t forget to add the usual half pineapple and half pepperoni for Bloe,” Amy adds.  

“Nah, wait.  Beca said she wouldn’t be here for dinner,” Cynthia Rose points out, causing Flo to stop writing mid-word.  Chloe can see the tiny woman’s nostrils begin to flare in anger.

“But she likes it cold.  Keep it on the list,” Amy orders.

“I can’t do this anymore!” Flo yells and throws the pen across the room.  Chloe can’t help but think that if the table wasn’t cemented to the floor, the other woman would have flipped it over.

While the Bellas attempt to tame the still-screaming Guatemalan, Chloe takes the moment to sneak away and return to the safety of her own room.  She drops onto her bed and leans her back against the wall, pulling her knees into her chest.  The lead weight is back, and suddenly she can’t breathe.  The situation is worse than she thought.  She pissed Beca off so much that the brunette couldn’t even stand to be in the house with her.  She even turned down pizza night.  Her stomach twists into knots so tight that she curls over in pain for a second.  Will Beca ever forgive her?  Did she just ruin her friendship?  Did she just lose Beca forever?  Because life without the brunette, Chloe thinks, would be unbearable.  What has she done?

* * *

 

She doesn’t know how long she has been curled up like this, and she’s too lazy to reach over and check her phone for the time.  She deduces that it has been over an hour, though, because she hears the roar of the hungry Bellas when the doorbell rings.  Jessica even knocks on her door to tell her the pizza has arrived, but Chloe insists they start without her, she’ll be down later.  The thought crosses her mind that she should probably go sit with the women, even if she’s not hungry.  There are only so many pizza nights left.  But she can’t bring herself to leave her room.  The block of lead is still weighing down on her.  So she continues to sit, still curled up in a ball, staring into space.  

 

* * *

The roar of the excited Bellas downstairs fades into a dull hum as they finish eating, and then silence as they all go their separate ways to complete their nightly tasks.  Still, Chloe just sits.

After what she assumes to be another substantial amount of time, there is a knock at the door, followed by a muffled, “Chlo?  It’s Beca.”

Chloe’s stomach turns into tighter knots at the sound of the brunette’s voice.  Suddenly, she is too afraid to answer.  She can’t stand to see the hurt on Beca’s face.  Maybe if she stays quiet, she’ll assume she’s asleep and leave.  

“Can I, like, come in?”  Chloe still can’t bring herself to reply.  After another moment of silence, Beca begins again, this time more sure of herself, “Okay, I’m just gonna come in.”  The door slowly opens and the tiny brunette peeks her head in, giving a weak smile.  “Hey.”  To Chloe’s surprise, she doesn’t look upset or angry.  

“Hi,” she replies quietly.  Beca takes this as an invitation to enter the room, and she closes the door behind her.

“What are you doing in here all alone?  I thought that was _my_ thing.”  She slowly makes her way to Chloe’s bed, but stops short when a thought crosses her mind.  She crinkles her nose.  “Wait, you’re not having, like, ‘you time’ are you?  Because I didn’t hear Titanium playing when I knocked.”  It’s a sad attempt at a joke and it comes out awkward, but it still causes the corners of Chloe’s lips to turn upward slightly as she shakes her head no.

Beca crawls onto the bed and settles into what had become her designated spot next to Chloe over the past four years.  She puts on another smile as she tries to sound enthusiastic.  “It’s pizza night.”  Chloe doesn’t react.  “I already had to break up a fight between Amy and Flo over the last meat-lovers slice.  I was lucky to escape with my life.”  She waits again for a reaction, but still doesn’t get one.  “You know, you should probably grab the last of the pineapple before Amy finishes it.”

“I’m not really hungry,” Chloe replies.

“Yeah,” Beca tucks her hair behind her ear, “the weirdos told me you didn’t eat.”  She pauses for a response, but Chloe doesn’t humor her, not even with eye contact.  The brunette licks her lips before she continues.  “Actually, they said you haven’t really left your room since you got back from rehearsal.”  There’s another short pause.  “I’m kind of worried, dude.”

“I’m fine,” Chloe mumbles.

“That’s total bullshit,” Beca bluntly states, causing Chloe to finally raise her bright blue eyes to meet the brunette’s.  Beca holds the eye contact, knowing it’s a key technique for getting through to the redhead.  “Tell me what’s up.”

Chloe just stares into Beca’s eyes for another few seconds, letting the presence of her best friend calm her.  She can feel her walls starting to break down and she tries really hard to keep it together.  “I’m sorry I was such a bitch to you today.”  It comes out barely above a whisper.  

Beca shakes her head.  “Dude, it’s fine–”

“No, it’s not,” Chloe cuts her off.  “I was...I was really terrible.  Especially to you.  I _hurt_ you, Beca.  And I feel _awful_ –”  She feels the tears fill her eyes, but she refuses to let them fall.

Beca grabs her wrists.  “Hey.”  She looks Chloe hard in the eye.  “Really, it’s fine.  I’m not upset.  I may be small, but I’m pretty tough.  I mean, I do have an ear spike, so...”  She smiles as some of the fear leaves Chloe’s face.

“I didn’t mean any of it,” Chloe apologizes.  “Really.  I was just so stressed and it just, like, made me snap at you for no reason.”

“I totally understand,” Beca tells her.  “I think we’re all a little on edge nowadays with finals and Worlds.  And DSM being a total pain in the ass.”  She drops her eyes to her lap, suddenly a bit embarrassed.  “And you weren’t completely wrong.”  She begins picking at her thumbnail.  “I know I am still a little distracted.  I’m trying to be better.  I just have a lot on my plate–”

Chloe shakes her head and cuts Beca off again.  “No, Beca.  I _was_ completely wrong.”  She puts her hand on the brunette’s, stopping the other woman’s nervous habit.  “Look at me,” she demands and Beca obeys.  Chloe stares into the steely blue eyes, wanting to make sure she gets her point across.  “You are a great captain.  Really.  You truly care about the Bellas, and what you’ve done for them is amazing.”  Beca blushes a little bit.  “And you’re allowed to be a little distracted.  You _should_ be a little distracted.  Because you’re preparing for the awesome future you’re going to have.  And when you accept your first Grammy, all of the Bellas are going to be cheering for you because you will always be our fearless leader.”

“I’m not the only fearless leader,” Beca says as she slips her hand out from under Chloe’s and uses it to poke her in the arm.

“Yeah, well I wasn’t a very good one today,” Chloe replies, her face suddenly falling.

“So?  We’re all allowed to have a bad day every once in awhile,” Beca tells her.  “I’m already over it.  And I don’t think the rest of the Bellas were even mad at you in the first place.”

“You sure about that?  Because I said some pretty awful things."  Chloe looks at the brunette like an injured puppy as her guilt begins to return.  "Especially to you."

“Dude, you know it’s, like, impossible to stay mad at you, right?” Beca smiles, causing some of that guilt to dissipate.  “You’re Chloe Beale.  You win the love of every person you meet.  It’s like a superpower or something.”  Chloe blushes a bit.

Beca’s expression turns serious again and she licks her lips before she continues.  “Can I ask what happened?” her voice is low and gentle.  “I mean, I’ve never seen you like that before.  It was really...” she crinkles her brow, “weird.”

“I...I don’t know exactly.  I just...” Chloe swallows away the lump in her throat.  “I’m just so scared, Bec.”  She can’t hold her tears in any longer.  She lets them stream down her face.

“About what?” Beca asks gently as she scoots closer to Chloe and squeezes her hand.

“Everything,” the she replies through her tears.  “Ever since the retreat I’ve just felt like I’m suffocating.”

“I knew Worlds was putting too much pressure on you,” Beca sighs, clearly feeling her own twinge of guilt.

“It’s not just that,” Chloe sniffles.  “Even if we win at Worlds and save the Bella line, the Bellas we know and love are still going to be over.  All of _this_ is going to be over.  We’re all graduating in a few weeks and I have to enter the real world and function in it and decide what I want to do and how am I supposed know what I want to do when there are so many possibilities?  Or what if I can’t find anything I like to do?”  She’s gasping for breath through her tears as she rants and she’s speaking so quickly that Beca has to concentrate extra hard to keep up.  But the brunette patiently lets her get her thoughts out, stroking the top of Chloe’s hand with her thumb to comfort her.  “And I won’t even have the people I love around me because we’re all going in different directions probably never to see each other again and you’re going to move across the country and become a famous music producer and I’ll be stuck here without my best friend and how the hell am I supposed to live without you, Becs?  Everything good in my life is just slipping away from me and–”

Her words are suddenly cut off.  It takes Chloe a second to realize it’s because two rosy pink lips are colliding with her own.  Her brain short-circuits and her heart begins to flutter in her chest.  She can feel the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.  All she can focus on is how soft the brunette’s lips are and how well they fit with her own.  The lead weight floats away and for the first time in almost a month, she can finally breathe again.  Well, not really, but it’s for a good reason.

Beca suddenly pulls away, leaving her lips tingling.  For a few seconds after, all Chloe can think about is how much she misses them.  When she finally opens her eyes, she sees that Beca is wide-eyed, staring at her like a deer in headlights.  

The brunette brings her hand to her mouth in horror.  “Oh my god...I...I’m sorry, I shouldn’t...”  She then begins to wave said hand, along with the other one around mindlessly as she speaks, just like she always does when she has trouble with her words.  “You were freaking out and I just wanted to shut you up– I– I didn’t mean to do _that_.”  She stands in a panic and her hands move to nervously run through her hair.  She takes a few steps toward the door, ready to retreat, then changes her mind and stops.  She removes her hands from her hair and turns to Chloe, taking a step back towards her.  “Shit, um...I know you’re super overwhelmed right now with life, but it’s going to be okay, I promise.  We are totally going to kick ass at Worlds and save the Bella legacy.  And you’re going to pass all your finals and we’ll graduate and we’re still going to talk everyday because who else will I complain to about my jerkface colleagues?  And we both know I can’t live without your pep talks.”  She’s rambling and she’s speaking with her hands way too much, but she’s doing surprisingly well.  Chloe just watches her go on, still a bit stunned from the kiss, yet hanging on to every word.  

“And you?” Beca continues, “You’re going to figure everything out, and you’re going to be successful in whatever you decide to do with your life.  Because you’re kind of amazing.”

More tears swell in Chloe’s eyes, but this time they’re happy tears.  She knows Beca is feeling extremely uncomfortable right now, but she put those feelings aside for a moment to ease Chloe’s anxiety.  For the first time since rehearsal, Chloe gives a genuine smile.  It’s small, kind of between a grin and a blush, but it’s bright.  Chloe didn’t think it was possible to love the tiny brunette any more than she already did, but looking into her steely blue eyes right now, she does.  Her words get caught in her throat, and she sees the fear return to those eyes before she can wrench them free.

“I’m gonna, like, go,” Beca says as she awkwardly points her thumb at door behind her.  She takes a step backwards.  “Um, I’m really sorry for, like,” she waves a hand in the air, too afraid to say it, “yeah.”  And then she’s gone.

Once the door closes shut, Chloe’s fingers instantly move to her lips, which are still tingling.  Oh yeah, Beca Mitchell sure does know how to shut a girl up.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's chapter two. There's going to be one more after this. What did you think?


	3. Chapter 3

Chloe walks down the flier-covered hallways of the Fine Arts building as she scans the room numbers for her intended destination.  _204...206...208..._

It has been two days since Beca had kissed her, and Chloe’s lips are still tingling.  She knew that she and her best friend would wind up locking lips eventually – especially with their track record – but she thought it would happen under better circumstances.  And probably with some alcohol in their systems.  She didn’t expect it to happen like _that_.  With tears streaming down her face while she was in the middle of a mental breakdown.  With _Beca_ making the first move.  It sure did take Chloe by surprise.

The awkwardness of the situation aside, Chloe liked the kiss.  She liked it _a lot_ , actually.  She had always imagined she would.  Not that she sat around hoping her best friend would plant one on her.  But she couldn’t help but notice that Beca has nice lips on multiple occasions, some drunk and some sober.  And two nights ago, she couldn’t help but notice that those lips felt as nice as they looked.  The kiss had been desperate, yet gentle.  Short, but full.  It sparked something in Chloe that she can’t quite put her finger on, and a small part of her can’t help but wonder what a proper kiss with Beca Mitchell would be like.

But she pushes these thoughts aside.  Beca is her best friend, her _awkward_ and _shy_ best friend.  One who is probably super confused and embarrassed by what she did.  One who would probably go running for the hills if Chloe even mentioned the kiss, let alone told her she _liked_ it.  She isn’t even completely sure what the whole liking-the-kiss-thing means yet, and bringing it up definitely isn’t worth scaring the the tiny brunette away.  So Chloe has decided to put her feelings aside for now.  For Beca.

_210...212..._

The day after the kiss, Chloe had treaded lightly, unsure of how Beca was going to act.  She knew the brunette was probably still mortified over what she had done, so she tried to act normal.  She even decided to tone down her usual flirty comments until the brunette’s embarrassment faded.  But Chloe’s careful actions were to no avail.  Beca had never handled awkward situations very well, and this time was no different.  Chloe couldn’t help but notice the way the other woman jumped when she entered the kitchen the next morning or the way she avoided eye contact for the first few seconds whenever they were in a room together.  She also couldn’t help but notice how Beca was trying to play it cool in rehearsals, yet still stood slightly farther away from her than usual.

_214...216..._

To be honest, Chloe isn’t sure how to read the situation.  She doesn’t know if this is just a short-term thing or if their friendship is in danger.  Between classes and her internship and all of her other obligations, aside from Bella rehearsals, Beca has been pretty scarce for the past two days, so other than the jumping, the lack of eye contact, and the extra space, Chloe doesn’t have much to go off of.  All she knows is that things have gotten awkward and it needs to stop.

Which is why she is currently leaning against the wall outside room 218, waiting for the tiny brunette’s class to be let out.  Exactly two minutes later, the door opens and the students flock out, most of which carry thankful expressions.  Chloe scans their faces, and she feels a smile on her lips when she recognizes an all-too-familiar grimace.

“Bec,” she calls to the brunette, who has her face buried in her phone.  Dark blue eyes float over to meet hers.  The grimace is replaced by a look of surprise.

“Hey,” Beca awkwardly drags out the word as she approaches.

“Hi,” Chloe beams.

“Um, so do you, like, not trust me to walk home from class by myself or...?” 

“No, silly!”  Chloe lightly shoves the brunette’s arm.  “We,” her smile grows even wider as she leans in a little closer, “are going to get coffee.”

“Are we?” Beca asks playfully.  She can’t help but smirk at the way Chloe just decides these things for her.

Chloe takes the smile as a good sign.  “Yes,” she states proudly and nudges Beca’s arm with her elbow, prompting the other woman to begin walking.  Her body relaxes when Beca begins to move down the hallway with her.  “We haven’t hung out in, like, two days, which is, like, super long for us.”

“Oh, no!  How have we survived?” Beca mocks and jokingly brings her hands to her cheeks.

“I know right?  I need my Beca fix.  And my caffeine fix.”

“Trust me, you don’t need anymore caffeine,” the brunette informs her.

“Just let me live, Becs.”  Chloe jokingly rolls her eyes and opens the door leading outside.

 

* * *

 

To Chloe’s relief, they make small talk on their way to the coffee shop.

“How was class?” she asks, genuinely interested.

“It sucked,” Beca replies.

“How could it suck?  It’s your last semester of music classes.”

“It's not a real music class.  It’s not like I actually get to touch a soundboard,” the tiny brunette complains as she rolls her eyes.

“I'm sure it's still important.  It wouldn't be required if it wasn't,” Chloe informs her.  She can’t help but take a silent sigh of relief.  Beca is making conversation, and she’s making eye contact.  She seems to be returning to her normal self.

“It’s music history, Chlo.  It’s totally _not_  important.”  She catches Chloe raise her eyebrows in disagreement.  “Okay, maybe it is, but they don’t have to lecture about every detail of every musician for three months.  I get it.  Elvis was iconic, the Beatles are legendary, Gaga is pushing boundaries, all sane human beings know Nickelback is terrible....It’s as simple as that.  I don’t need to know what year Bach composed his Brandenburg Concerto.”

“I don’t know.  It could be your winning question on Jeopardy one day,” Chloe grins.

Beca shoots her a glare, which only causes Chloe’s smile to grow as they reach the Barden coffee shop.  Yup, Beca is definitely being Beca.  Maybe she had been worrying for nothing.

 

* * *

 

After getting their drinks – Beca had gone with a caffe mocha, and Chloe got a caramel frappuccino with an extra shot of caramel after debating between that or a white chocolate mocha one for what Beca claimed to be “for, like, ten years” – the women settle at a table in the corner.

There is an awkward silence while Chloe tries to decide what she wants to say.  To her surprise, Beca breaks the silence before she can.

“How’s doodle boy?” 

Chloe smiles as she thinks of the guy that sits to her left in her Contemporary Russian Lit class.  A few weeks into the semester, Chloe’s eyes had drifted to his notebook and she noticed he was doodling.  Except it wasn’t just little scribbles, it was an elaborate scene of a wolf in a forest.  The next class, she looked at his notebook again to find an impressively-detailed drawing of a city skyline.  Every class after that, Chloe would look over to find a new work of art.  She was so amazed by this kid that she excitedly brought it up in conversation with Beca, and updating the brunette on each day’s masterpiece became part of their routine.

“He’s good.  He was working on a beach scene today.  There were kids flying kites on the sand, and there was a pier off to the side with people fishing,” Chloe informs her. 

“No pic today?” Beca asks.

Chloe had quickly befriended Doodle Boy, and he usually allowed her to take pictures of his work at the end of class.  Because who could refuse Chloe?

She shakes her head.  “No, he looked like he was kind of in a rush, so I didn’t ask.  It was so beautiful, though.  It made me want to go there, ya know?”

Beca hums in agreement and there is a pause while they both take a sip of their drinks.  Suddenly, Chloe’s face lights up and she excitedly slams her hand on the table, causing Beca to jump.  “Oh my god!” she squeals.

“What?” Beca asks, scared.

“We should totes take a Bella road trip to the beach!”  Her eyes are practically glowing with excitement.

“Or we could just, ya know, stab ourselves to death,” Beca says dryly.

“Seriously, why do you hate the beach so much?” Chloe asks as she takes another sip of her drink.  “It’s sunny and it’s warm...”

“More like hot.  Burning hot.  And there’s always a ton of people there, which is an automatic ‘no,’ and the seagulls that attack you whenever you’re within a ten foot radius of food, and the sand is just annoying as fuck because it gets literally everywhere.  And on top of all that, there are all the creepy guys that stare at every woman that is wearing a bathing suit.  Even _me_.”

“Well, how could they not?” Chloe’s voice gets low as she deems the situation safe enough for her to turn on her usual charm.  

Beca rolls her eyes.  “Because I’m, like, _me_.  It’s not like I look like...” she motions up and down at Chloe’s body, trying to find a fitting word that doesn’t sound like a come-on, and it winds up just coming out as “you.”

“I know if I were I guy, I would totes stare at you,” Chloe smirks and wiggles her eyebrows.  On the long list of things she loves doing with Beca, flirting with the tiny brunette solely to get a rise out of her comes second, just under making her smile and just above watching her make a new mix.

“Oh my god.”  Beca’s cheeks turn pink as she takes a sip of her coffee in an attempt to get out of this conversation.

“What?  You have a nice butt,” Chloe tells her, causing the brunette to choke a little on her beverage.  She knows this isn’t news to Beca.  She has admitted this fact on multiple occasions, both drunk and sober.

“Chloe,” Beca groans after releasing one last cough and covers her face with her hands, “we are not talking about my butt in a coffee shop.”

“Fine,” Chloe flashes her a smug smile once she uncovers her face.  “But seriously, Becs,” she puts her hand on top of the one the brunette has just placed on the table, “you really are pretty.”  And she genuinely means it.

Beca just stares at Chloe for a moment and fear quickly flashes through her eyes.  Then, right before her own eyes, Chloe watches Beca transform into freshman Beca.  The brunette’s entire body stiffens.  She pulls her hand away from Chloe’s and crosses her arms across her chest.  She leans back in her chair, rolling her eyes to hide her fear.  “Yeah, I know, whatever,” she grumbles.

Chloe knows she fucked up.  She got too flirty and scared Beca away.  She hadn’t meant to make it sound like she was coming on to the other woman.  Well, maybe she did with the butt comment.  But the rest of it?  That was just Chloe being Chloe.  She just wanted to make her best friend feel good about herself.  Because Beca really is pretty.  But instead, her comments reminded the brunette of recent events involving their lips, and in the span of two seconds, Beca put her walls back up.

Chloe sighs.  She is going to have to break them down.  Again.  And what’s the best way to do that?  Change the subject, of course.

“How fun would it be to take a Bella trip to LA?”  She expects Beca to at least brighten a little bit at the mention of her future home, but she gets no reaction.  So she continues, “We could see all the sights and stalk celebrities...I really wanna see Tom Cruise’s house.”

“It’d be better than the beach,” Beca mumbles.  Her eyes are on her lap, where she begins picking at her thumbnail.

“And you can show us all the cool music studios that you’ll work at one day," Chloe tries.  "Wouldn’t that be totally awse?”

“Yeah,” Beca sounds completely disinterested and she still doesn’t look up.

“I wonder if they do tours.”

“I don’t know.”

Chloe notes that the whole changing-the-subject thing isn’t exactly working.  Neither is the whole not-talking-about-the-kiss thing.  She can’t take it anymore.  She needs her best friend back.

“Okay,” Chloe firmly sets her cup down.  “You’re being weird again.  And not the good kind of weird.”

“What?  No I’m not.”

“Then why are you picking at your thumbnail?”  Beca quickly drops her hands into her lap and makes eye contact, attempting to prove Chloe wrong.  “It’s been almost four years, Becs.  I think I can recognize when you’re uncomfortable.”

“Dude, I’m,” the brunette mindlessly waves a hand in the air, “I’m fine.”

But Chloe doesn’t buy it.  Before she continues, she takes a breath and lowers her eyes, knowing the lack of eye contact will make it easier for Beca.  “This is about the other night, isn’t it?  When we..." her voice is suddenly shy, "kissed?"

“Dude, no, I....it was–”  The brunette shakes her head, flustered.

Chloe raises her eyes once Beca begins stumbling over her words, and she decides to put her out of her misery.  “Look, Bec...you don’t have to freak out.  I know it was a one-time thing.  And I know you didn’t mean it in, like, a romantic way or anything.”  She pauses for a second, just in case there’s a slight chance Beca wants to correct her.  Beca glances up for a second, then gets intimidated by the bright blue eyes staring back and her and looks back down at her lap.  Chloe knows it was a long shot, and that’s okay.  She takes a breath and continues, “So, relax.  It happened, it served its purpose – I’m not freaking out anymore – it’s done.  I just want things to stop being awkward between us.”

“You’re not weirded out by the fact that I just, like, attacked you?” Beca asks, baffled as she finally brings her eyes to meet Chloe’s again, and this time, she keeps the eye contact.

Chloe shakes her head.  “It’s not weird unless we make it weird.  I mean, we’ve had more intimate experiences, if you know what I mean.”  She winks and Beca’s cheeks turn red at the reference to their shower encounter from her freshman year.

“I thought we agreed never to speak of that again,” the brunette growls through her teeth.

“You agreed,” Chloe smirks.  “I, however, did no such thing.”

“I hate you,” Beca grumbles.

“No, you don’t,” Chloe smiles with her teeth.

Beca rolls her eyes as a small smile creeps across her lips.  Chloe sighs in relief as the woman in front of her returns to her normal self.  

“So are we good?” she asks and holds out a hand.

Beca takes a breath.  “We’re good,” she confirms and shakes the offered hand.  Well, it’s a shake that lasts longer than it should, and it ends with a second or two of them just holding each other’s hands.

“For the record,” Chloe smirks again as she releases Beca’s hand, “you’re a surprisingly good kisser.”

Beca’s eyebrows shoot upwards and her mouth drops open slightly.  “Excuse me?  _Surprisingly_?”  She sounds offended, but her eyes are bright with amusement.

“Well, the _whole thing_ was kind of surprising, Becs,” Chloe tells her.

“I may be extremely awkward, but it doesn’t mean my lips are,” Beca informs her as she crosses her arms and leans back in her seat, putting on a cocky smile.  “I’ll have you know, I’ve been told I’m a _great_ kisser.”  

Chloe knows the other woman is waiting for her to agree, but she isn’t ready to let her win.  She squints her eyes and directs her gaze to the ceiling, making a high-pitched hum like she disagrees, just to annoy Beca.

“Oh my god, Chloe, I totally am and you know it!” Beca exclaims.  “You should have seen your face!”

“I don’t know.”  Chloe suppresses the urge to laugh at how passionate Beca is getting about this.  She keeps up the confused act.  “I didn’t have much to go on.  It didn’t last very long.”

“Well, that doesn’t change the fact that I’m a total stud,” Beca says smugly.

“I’ll tell you what,” Chloe leans slightly over the table so she can get closer to Beca, and she can't help but notice the brunette's eyes flutter to her lips for a split second.  She puts on a devious grin.  “The next time you kiss me out of a breakdown, I’ll reassess your skills.” 

Her comment results in a deadpan from the brunette.  “You’re so weird.”

Chloe beams as she leans back to sit normally.  “Thanks!”

Beca rolls her eyes and takes a sip of her coffee.  “Alright, so it’s a rest day for the Bellas and I don’t have any work stuff to do for once.  You wanna go work on that intro idea for our set?”

Chloe’s smile grows even wider.  Beca Mitchell is officially back.  “Totes.”

“Sweet.”  Beca grabs her coffee cup and stands.  Chloe does the same.  

When the brunette reaches the door to the coffee shop, she turns back to Chloe.  “Promise you won’t go all captain crazy on me again?” she asks with a smirk.

Chloe holds up her free hand as if she is swearing in at court.  “Promise.”

Beca smiles and holds the door open for Chloe.  She nods towards the outside.  “Then let’s do this, nerd.”

Side by side, they walk to the theatre, ready to conquer the Worlds...and then the world itself.  At that moment, Chloe has never been happier.  She has her best friend back, and with Beca by her side, the thought of the future isn’t as scary.  Sure, this final chapter with the Bellas might be writing itself too fast, and it may not end the way she wants, but it doesn’t matter, she knows she’ll get through it in the end.  As long as she has Beca Mitchell around, everything will be okay. 

Now about that little kiss...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's chapter 3! Let me know what you thought of it! 
> 
> As far as I know, this is the end of Under Pressure unless I randomly come up with a new idea one day or if enough people want more. I'm also open to ideas for new fics, so hit me up in the comments!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
